How to be a Better Birder: Travel Stories

This book isn’t what I thought it would be. It is definitely more “travel stories” than “how to be a better birder”, at least in the sense that you would normally think of it.

The book consists of 27 self-contained stories. With only a few exceptions, the stories are told first-person and are titled after a bird (e.g. “sandpiper”, “cattle egrets”, “bali mynah”). The titular birds are a part of the story, but mostly only in passing. The narratives are much more about the author’s experiences in various places. Guyana is the setting for several stories, along with Nepal, India, and Florida, among others. The stories often deal with some sort of environmental or social issue. Ketover writes passionately about farmers’ over-use of pesticides, women’s rights in Africa, and the sex trade in Nepal. He does a very good job of bringing these issues down to a personal level so that they are no longer abstract.

Thankfully there are a couple stories that actually do focus on birds. The tales focusing on the various social/environmental/political issues are the best written in the book, but the birds are the most enjoyable aspect. As important as it is to be made aware of these issues, it is undeniable that reading about searches for rare birds is more fun than vivid descriptions of a murdered hawk. Unfortunately there are a couple chapters that deal with neither and they are by far the weakest.

A source of confusion is found in an introductory author’s note:

All characters in a story are just that, characters in a story.

And sometimes I, the narrator, am not I.

Does this imply that some, or even all, of the stories are fictional? Only one of the accounts seems to be fictional, or at least an embellished true story. It includes some details that those present could not know about, such as an unseen shark targeting a swimmer. However, others are intensely personal. If they are fictional it would be very impressive due to the details and emotional content. In the end, I’m not sure what to make of the author’s statement. Even so, the uncertain origin of the stories does not detract from them.

The stories are well-written, evocative, and engrossing. It says much about the book that I still enjoyed most of it even though I was disappointed it was not really about birds as I was expecting. The book will not help the reader to be a better birder. However, if it helps open the eyes to how others live and to issues plaguing our world today it might help you be a better person.